Mustangs sweep Mayville

OMAHA, NEB. – Rather than the soggy soil of MercyOne Field, which is still soft from the last precipitation Sioux City received, Morningside Baseball headed south to slightly warmer Omaha, where it could play a "home" opener on the turf of Elkhorn Legion Field. The Mustangs swept Mayville State's Comets on the day, 5-1 in the opener and 6-4 in the finale.

Morningside scattered its hits across the lineup in the day's first game, with Ryan Kiolbassa the only Mustang to have a two-hit day. Jayson Willers and Cade Nolan both had doubles, while Nolan, Hunter Hope, Ejah Rude, Aiden Bishop, and Brian Garcia had RBIs.

Josh Thurman got the start in the game, throwing two hitless innings with three strikeouts before handing the ball to Jackson Stephen, who matched the two scoreless innings, striking out two. Josh Pratt gave up the lone run in two innings on the mound, striking out one, and Alex Calabrese closed out the game.

Game two saw more offense out of both dugouts, with Hope and Bishop having two-hit games for Morningside. Eddie Brancato, Nick Grajeda, and Gunnar Kale each had doubles and Calabrese took a round-tripper, sending a pitch over the wall. Hope had a pair of RBIs while Grajeda, Kiolbassa, Bishop, and Calabrese each had one RBI. Hope and Kiolbassa each swiped a bag on the basepaths.

Wade Canaday served in the role of opener, throwing an inning with two strikeouts, giving up a run off two hits. Luke Mar was second on the bump, giving up an unearned run on one hit, striking out two before handing off to Nolan, who threw two scoreless innings to claim the win. Will Brandner threw an inning, giving up a pair of runs, and Logan Warkentin slammed the door in the bottom of the seventh, striking out one and earning the save.

Morningside's next scheduled contest comes on March 25, with Doane coming to MercyOne Field, as this weekend's games against Dordt and Jamestown have been postponed. Keep an eye on msidemustangs.com for make up dates for those four contests.